Jordan Chiles is very proud of her teammate Simone Biles.
After the second day of the U.S. gymnastics qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics in Minneapolis, the gymnast opened up to PEOPLE and others about how she feels about placing second, so far, in the overall standings behind Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist.
“I love it. The last time it was like this, it was back (at the US Classic),” Chiles, 23, said on Friday (June 28), referring to the 2021 competition in Indianapolis where she finished second behind Biles, 27.
“It’s like we’re starting this all over again because we are, so I’m very proud of her,” Chiles adds, nodding to the current standings, with Biles in first place (58,900) points and Chiles just behind (56.400).
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“He’s someone that I will always look up to no matter what’s going on in life, whether it’s gymnastics (or) just life in general,” Chiles continued.
Chiles, who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as part of the U.S. gymnastics team, also says Biles has been a role model for her.
“She’s someone I really tried to follow (in her footsteps) and she did a wonderful job,” she explains. “So I’m very proud of her and to be behind her. It just gives me more confidence in myself. »
The U.S. team will be determined on June 30, when the trials end.
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Chiles also highlights how she remembers having fun in a stressful environment – and her method is very on point.
“This morning it was a little difficult during our training and I was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m thinking too much. I’m stressing too much. Why am I doing this?’ ” she says.
“So while I was getting ready, we were living, we were listening to music,” Chiles told PEOPLE and other reporters, naming Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé and GloRilla as his go-to artists of the moment. “I was like, ‘OK, you know what? If these girls can kill like that, I can go out there and kill like them.’ ”
Chiles previously spoke to PEOPLE about his namesake, NBA legend Michael Jordan. The Olympian’s mother, Gina, has always been a huge fan of Jordan, 61: “She felt the inspiration that he gave her, and it was just a really big, beautiful thing.”
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“She just decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to have my baby after him and see where life takes her,'” Chiles said.
She hopes to one day meet the NBA icon for a moment of sharing.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can meet him and get his advice as someone who looks up to him, which he gives,” she added.
